The Newest Student of Princeton College
by Bird of All Fandoms
Summary: Alexander Hamilton wants to change the world. It's what he's always wanted to do. All he has to do is hurry through his years at Princeton, and he'll be free. But the people he meets aren't going to make graduating in two years easy... Lams, Mullette, Jeffmads (brief Hamliza/Hamgelica). Modern!AU. On hiatus since the author read an amazing fic and is rethinking the entire story.
1. I'm Alexander Hamilton (Showtime!)

AN/ **Welcome one and all to the debut of yet another Modern!Hamilton story! This is gonna be a wild ride of laughter, feels, and a heck of a lot of sarcasm (courtesy of a certain arrogant, loud-mouthed bother). I took more than a few creative liberties, and I absolutely love the results. I can't wait to see your responses! Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the musical this series is based off of. I just love it too much to not write a few of my own stories.

* * *

It was a long shot. Scratch that, it was completely insane. But Alexander Hamilton had never been known for his rationality or sanity. So he was going to do the impossible, and he wasn't going to let anyone tell him otherwise or slow him down.

He was going to graduate Princeton in two years.

Of course, there were a few obstacles in his way. Even though he was a prodigy, a genius, really, he still had to suffer through things like roommates (he had been placed with three other students, despite the clear lack of social skills he had shown in his interview), menial homework (honestly, why did they think repeating the same problem over and over would help students learn?), and less-than-interesting teachers ( _he_ , with all his non-existent social abilities, could teach the classes and make them more engaging).

The appeal of Princeton dimmed slightly in the face of these challenges, but it certainly wasn't enough to turn Alex away or deter him at all. He _would_ graduate in two years. He _would_ show the world that Alexander Hamilton had arrived, and he wasn't going anywhere.

That is, as soon as he found his dorm.

Alex turned in a slow circle, glaring at the college around him. It was beautiful, all polished stone, trimmed hedges, and orange and yellow trees. It was also humongous. Jersey was a small place, but Princeton was absolutely huge. As much as Alex hated to admit it, he was lost. He probably wouldn't even be able to find his way back to the front office.

At the rate he was wandering around, two years would pass before he found his dorm.

Alex huffed, then picked up his bags once more. There was nothing for it, he'd have to ask someone where dorm room 776 was. He usually despised asking for help, but this was one case in which he was willing to sacrifice some pride for the sake of time.

Though he made a mental note to send a letter of complaint to the school about the lack of maps around campus.

The school year didn't start for two more days, so there weren't many people out in the quad. However, fate seemed to have taken pity on Alex and provided him assistance. A lone man sat on the edge of a nearby fountain, book in hand. The book immediately caught Alex's attention and favor. He didn't see many people reading actual books anymore.

"Pardon me," Alex called, picking up his pace and hurrying over to the fountain. The man lifted his head, and Alex stumbled to a stop, eyes widening without his consent. "A-are you Aaron Burr, sir?"

Aaron Burr was practically a legend in Princeton. He was on the fast track through the school, and he was part of the reason that Alex was certain he could do it as well. Seeing Burr in person made Alex feel a little overwhelmed. Sure, the man was only a few years older than him, but still...

"That depends," Aaron said slowly, closing his book. "Who's asking?"

Alex hastily set down his bags and held out a hand. "I'm Alexander Hamilton. I'm at your service, sir. I've been looking for you, well, anyone, really."

"I'm getting nervous." Despite his words, Aaron shook Alex's hand with a slight smile.

"Don't worry, sir. I'm just trying to find dorm 776."

Aaron's smile became more genuine, and he stood, tucking his book under his arm. "In that case, follow me." He headed off towards yet another gray stone building, leaving Alex to gather his bags and hurry after his new guide. "I'm assuming you're one of the new freshmen. What brought you here to Princeton, Mr. Hamilton?"

"I want to do what you're doing," Alex said, for once thinking through his words before he said them. He didn't want to look like a fool in front of Aaron Burr. "Graduate in two, then get out and change the world. The headmaster looked at me like I was stupid when I told him; I'm not stupid. But he told me I could try. So if I may ask, how are you doing it? How are you planning to graduate so fast?"

Aaron was quiet for a moment, and Alex suddenly worried that he'd said too much. He'd never had a good grasp on boundaries. Then Aaron shrugged slightly.

"It was my parents' dying wish before they passed. I just knew I had to do it somehow."

"You're an orphan," Alex breathed, and he couldn't help but feel relieved knowing he wasn't the only one. "Of course, I'm an orphan! God, I wish there was something we could do to prove that we're worth more than people think. We're more than just children without parents."

Aaron gave him a sidelong glance. "Huh. Can I buy you a drink once you've settled in?"

"That would be nice," Alex said, smiling faintly. He wasn't technically old enough, but that didn't matter.

Aaron nodded in return. "Then in the meantime, let me offer you some free advice. Talk less."

Alex frowned. That wasn't what he had been expecting to hear. "What?"

"Smile more."

"Hah." What the hell was this man on about?

"You wanna get ahead?"

"Yes." Of course Alex did, why else would he have said he wanted to graduate in two?

"Fools who run their mouths off end up with a lot of problems. Especially in this college. It's one of the best in this country, but not everyone here has a firm grasp on civility and common decency. Take it from someone who's been here a while." Aaron stopped, and Alex realized that while he'd been contemplating his guide's sanity, they'd entered a building and now stood at the start of a hallway. Aaron gestured at a door at the end of the hallway. A plaque reading "776" next to the door in question. "There's your room."

"Thank you," Alex said mildly. He gave Aaron the most real smile he could when he was still wondering what kind of advice he had been given, gathered his bags, and headed for dorm 776.

He paused before the door, setting one bag down and taking a deep breath. Alex knocked twice, hoping, praying, even, that someone was inside. A faint "Come in!" drifted from inside the room, and Alex released the breath he'd been holding. He picked up his bags and entered the dorm without looking back to see if Aaron was still standing in the hallway.

Alex was immediately assaulted with a barrage of colors, smells, and sounds. Everything seemed to be blue, white, or gray, with some browns thrown in to accent the brighter colors. The smell of pasta and bread hung in the air, making Alex's mouth water. And from around the corner, several voices joined together in a song Alex couldn't quite make out.

The small foyer he stood in opened into a living room. It was small, but still seemed cozy. Posters of both the French and American flags hung on the walls, along with delicate murals and drapes. Two white sofas sat in the middle of the room, a dark coffee table between them. Both sofas were littered with random articles of clothing, books, and pillows. As a final touch, a gray carpet was spread over the wood-paneled floor, and it looked very soft. Or maybe Alex was just that tired, and anything soft looked a good napping spot.

There were two doors leading off the left side of the living room, one of them slightly ajar. When Alex craned his neck to see inside, he realized that it was a bedroom. But he couldn't see anyone inside, so that meant that his roommates were to his right, beyond the edge of the foyer wall.

Alex set down his bags and steeled his nerve. All he had to be was be enough of a functional human to make a good impression. Then he could retreat to his room and be himself. He quickly stepped out of the foyer before he could overthink his situation any further.

The final corner of the dorm was occupied by a small kitchen. A stove was shoved against the wall, crammed next to a tiny fridge and a few feet of counter space. A low island divided the kitchen from the living room, and it was the island that the singing came from.

Three men were crowded around the island, two balanced on stools and one standing in the middle of the kitchen. For a second, Alex could only stare.

The man closest to Alex leaned heavily on the counter, grinning broadly. His hair was dark brown, and it was pulled back into a ponytail that flopped as he nodded along to their rhythm. Freckles decorated his face, concentrated on his nose and cheeks. He looked like he was nearly drowning in the hoodie he was wearing.

"I'm John Laurens in the place to be! Two pints of Sam Adams but I'm working on three!" the man rapped, tapping his fingers on the counter. "These redcoats don't want it with me, cause I will pop chick-a pop these cops till I'm free!"

The man on the other side of "John Laurens" gave him a proud grin. His hair was darker than "John's", though it was also pulled back into a ponytail, and his skin was a light brown. He was precariously balanced on his stool, a jacket half falling off his shoulders and his socks two different patterns.

"Oui oui, mon ami, je m'appelle Lafayette! The Lancelot of the revolutionary set! I came from afar just to say bonsoir; tell the king casse-toi. Who's the best? C'est moi."

The last man's hair and skin were darker than the other two's, and he wore a headband that he occasionally pulled at. His hand covered his mouth, since he was beatboxing, but it was clear he was smiling at the other two. The sleeves of his sweatshirt were halfway down his arms, revealing a woven bracelet of some kind.

"I am Hercules Mulligan, up in it, lovin' it, yes I heard your mother say 'come again?'"

The three joined together in ridiculous high-pitched voices for the "come again", and they lapsed into laughter, finally giving Alex a chance to make his presence known.

"Hey, excuse me?" Three heads turned to him in unison, but Alex didn't mind the staring. He'd always loved the spotlight. "I'm Alexander Hamilton, your last roommate. I'm not interrupting too badly, am I?"

The men exchanged looks, identical grins spreading across their faces.

"Not at all. Nice to meet you, Alexander. I'm John Laurens." John slid to his feet, holding out a hand. Alex shook it firmly. Upon closer inspection, John's ponytail wasn't as neat as it had looked. Loose strands drifted here and there, but it just added to his charm.

"Yes, hello, Alexander." The man still perched on a stool gave him an easy smile, his eyes glittering with a playful light. "Call me Lafayette."

Alex grinned at the two, then glanced at the last man. "Let me guess. Hercules Mulligan?

Hercules smiled proudly. "That's right. So you did hear us."

"It was hard not to," Alex snickered. "You sounded good. Practicing for something?"

"No," Lafayette said, lifting a shoulder. "It was just to amuse us. We discovered that we were all musically inclined, and as I'm sure you can see, there's not much else to do here. We don't even have a television. _Perhaps you will help to relieve our boredom._ "

Alex just stared at Lafayette for a long moment. The taller man had switched to French halfway through his sentence. Sure, Alex should have expected it, what with Lafayette's obvious accent, but he was still thrilled. How long had it been since he'd had a chance to have a conversation in a language other than English?

"Laf, not all of us can speak fluent French," Hercules muttered, shooting said Frenchman a mildly annoyed look. Lafayette opened his mouth as if to correct himself, so Alex quickly jumped in.

" _I'm sure I'll be able to entertain you somehow. I'm quite adept at keeping people on their toes._ "

Lafayette raised his eyebrows slightly. "You speak my language?" Alex tilted his head smugly in response, and Lafayette smirked. "I like you, Alexander. I think that we'll get into much trouble together."

"You're already stirring the pot," John chuckled, knocking Alex's shoulder and ignoring Hercules' exasperated sigh at yet another person who spoke French. "I'm glad you've found your way here, Alexander. Do you prefer Alex, or?... okay, Alex it is. Since you've already met all of us and crashed our singing, you wanna get settled in?"

"Yeah, lead the way," Alex said, giving John a faint smile. The other man returned it and headed towards the bedrooms. Alex paused to grab his bags, and when he straightened, John had opened the previously closed door and was gesturing towards it. Alex quickly entered the room.

It had the same color pallet as the rest of the dorm, with dark blue walls, oak wood flooring, and a gray carpet in the center of the room. Two beds were pushed against the far walls, with matching white bedspreads and a trunk at the foot of each. One already had books and other belongings scattered across it. The other one, on the right, still had carefully folded sheets.

"Laf and Herc were the first ones here, and I guess they hit it off," John said, joining Alex in the center of the room. He nudged his shoulder. "You alright being stuck with me?"

Alex set his bags on his new bed and tossed John a grin. "Only if you don't snore."

"I don't," John snorted, dropping onto his bed and sitting cross-legged. He was quiet for a few seconds while Alex unpacked. "I know you've probably already been asked this a lot since you got here, but I'm curious. Why'd you pick Princeton? Aside from knowing that you'd be rooming with us."

Alex chuckled, pausing in taking a stack of shirts from his bags. He didn't really like talking about his past, but he was going to be around John for at least two years. He might as well reveal a bit about himself. "I was offered a scholarship, and there was no way I was turning it down," he said, turning to face John. "New York City hasn't been kind to me so far, but I've managed. Things can only get better, right?

"Anyways, the headmaster liked the way I thought, and decided to take a chance on me. I can't blame him, I'm practically a diamond in the rough. I mean, I'm only nineteen, but trust me, I'm smarter than half the teachers here. I'm going to turn this school on its head. You're going to be witness to a revolution. I've never really had a group of friends before, but I can tell y'all aren't like normal people. I stand by what I told Lafayette, I promise that I'll make your life more interesting."

John looked at Alex for a moment. For a second, Alex once again wondered if he'd said too much, overstepped and made the wrong impression. Then a large grin spread over John's face, drawing Alex's attention to the freckles on his nose and cheeks.

"I think I just met a kindred spirit. I'm looking forward to being a part of your revolution, Alex."

Alex grinned broadly. "Laurens, I like you a lot."

John returned his fierce grin, and something that could have been happiness plucked at Alex's heart. It wasn't something he'd felt in a long time. It was amazing that someone he barely knew was so much like him. He could just about feel the life radiating off of his roommate, and Alex was eager to see if John's energy matched his.

Hercules and Lafayette picked that moment to poke their heads through the door, and they gave Alex and John matching grins.

Maybe John wasn't the only one who was similar to Alex.

"We're going to try to find food," Hercules said, jerking his head at the front door." You guys coming?"

Alex's stomach answered for itself, and the four of them left the dorm laughing. Hercules spared a moment to give Alex a key, then locked the door behind them. A conversation about the campus started up as they walked, distracting Alex from the other students they passed. It also completely distracted him from the stares they got. If he had noticed, he wouldn't have been surprised. He knew they were quite a sight.

John was on the far left, loose strands of hair drifting in front of his eyes, freckled face pulled into a wide smile, still nearly drowning in his hoodie. Alex himself was on his right, hair messy, a self-satisfied gleam in his eyes, hands in his jacket pockets. Lafayette was next in line, perfect ponytail, smug smile, long coat swishing dramatically behind him. And Hercules was on the far right, headband carefully folded, laughing loudly at his friends, ankle-high boots over tight black pants.

Admittedly, most of the stares they got were from the female students they walked by. Alex only noticed the attention they were getting when a girl called "hey cutie!". He then spent the next few seconds trying to figure out who she was cat-calling, and upon realizing she had aimed it at him, he had inched closer to Lafayette.

Alex was married to his studies and projects. He had no time for a girlfriend.

After a good half an hour, the group was still no closer to finding food. Alex felt a little relieved. At least he wasn't the only one who had no idea where he was going.

Despite their lack of direction, Lafayette eventually took it upon himself to lead their unofficial search. Alex, seeing nothing better to do, joined him. He made sure to be as theatrical as possible, strolling down the hallway like he owned it while John and Hercules followed a few steps behind.

"You seem very confident for someone who doesn't know where they're going," Lafayette noted quietly, giving Alex a slight smile. Alex lifted a shoulder.

"There are few things I don't know, Laf. Where I'm going is one of the few, so everything I do know makes up for it." The taller man chuckled, and Alex raised an eyebrow. "What about you? Someone could mistake you for a peacock with that strut." Without even breaking his stride, Lafayette flipped his coattail and threw out his arms dramatically. He really did look like a peacock. Alex chuckled, appreciating the flair.

The laughter died in his throat when he realized that he wasn't the only one laughing.

John and Hercules had, of course, chuckled along at Lafayette's theatrics, but from the other side of the quad, two men were advancing. One of them wore a fuchsia trench coat (which Alex thought was practically a crime), the other, a simple gray sweater. Alex immediately felt on edge, and he felt even more wary when he noticed that the fuchsia man was still chuckling.

"Always the flamboyant one," the man said, stopping in front of them. "Glad to see your self-esteem is as strong as always."

"Yes, well, one must do something to entertain themselves," Lafayette replied smoothly. "Hello, Thomas. Is there something you need?"

Fuchsia man, Thomas, waved a hand. "Nah, I wouldn't trouble you like that, Laf. I just wanted to stop and say 'hi', and Jimmy James was willing to make a detour. It's been a while since I've seen you, after all. " Thomas's eyes moved to Alex, and John and Hercules by extension, since they were standing at Alex's shoulders. "Who're your new friends?"

Alex didn't really want Thomas and "Jimmy James" to know his name, but Lafayette was already introducing them.

"This is Hercules Mulligan, John Laurens, and-"

"Alexander Hamilton," Alex said breezily. He nudged past Lafayette and held out his hand. "Good to meet you, mister-?"

Thomas hesitated a moment, then shook Alex's hand gingerly. "Thomas Jefferson." He quickly released his grip and draped his arm over James' shoulder. Alex fought back an annoyed scowl. Did Thomas think he wasn't even worth a handshake? If so, what the hell was James to him? "So, where are you freshies heading?"

"Lunch," Alex said, crossing his arms. "I'm sure you'll understand that we can't stop to chat."

"Of course. Lunch is an important meal."

"Very."

Alex held Thomas' gaze for a few more seconds, and the beginnings of a grudge nudged at his mind. He knew near to nothing about this man, but he didn't like what he could see. He wanted nothing to do with him. And as for James, he didn't know enough either. Best to get away from both of them.

"Well, if you'll excuse us, we're leaving," Alex said, finally breaking their unofficial staring contest and giving both Thomas and James a flat look. "I've got better things to do than continue this conversation."

The rest of the group was silent. Then Thomas laughed quietly.

"Go ahead. No one's stopping you."

"Hamilton-" James started, speaking for the first time during their encounter, but Thomas interrupted him with a finger.

"No, the kid wants to leave. Who are we to hold him up any further, James?" Alex nodded once and walked forward, purposely pushing between Thomas and James (which earned him a grunt from James). But as he went by, Thomas added, "I hope you find a good use for your oh-so-precious time."

Alex ignored the passing comment. It took all of his self-control, but he ignored it. He reached the other side of the quad in only a few seconds and ducked into the nearest hallway. He peeked back around the corner, just to make sure that his friends had followed him. They had; John was just a few steps behind him, and Lafayette and Hercules were jogging after them.

"That was very diplomatic," Lafayette noted dryly once he had joined Alex. Alex gave him an accusatory glare, and Lafayette lifted his hands defensively. "Yes, I know him. We met in France a few years ago. Still, your reaction seemed a little... extreme."

"I didn't like him," Alex muttered. Lafayette snorted, but John put a hand on Alex's shoulder.

"Me neither. I was kind of waiting for you to tear him apart."

"Me too," Hercules sighed.

Alex grinned at his friends' reactions. "Like I told them, it would have been a waste of our time to keep talking to them. But hey, at least they helped us out. The cafeteria's down this way, I can see the sign over there."

Hercules glanced at him, a smile tugging at his mouth. "Single-minded focus, huh?"

"I don't envy the girl who manages to capture your attention," Lafayette muttered. That earned a few snickers from John and Hercules, and Alex threw the Frenchman an annoyed look. "It's true, no? I'm sure you won't give up until you win her over."

"Are you hungry or not?" Alex asked snidely, waving a hand at the cafeteria sign.

Lafayette smiled playfully. "Lead the way, Alexander."

Alex rolled his eyes and marched off down the hallway, earning more snickers from Hercules. The four quickly fell into a rhythm once more, with Alex leading the group, John at his shoulder, and Lafayette and Hercules behind them. Now with a clear path to follow, Alex walked quickly. He hoped that his friends would keep up.

They did. Alex never hated being short more than he did for the two minutes it took them to reach the cafeteria.

Alex pushed through the doors and found the cafeteria pleasantly empty. He guessed that most people had wanted to stay with their parents (or on their own) for as long as they could before they came to the campus. Alex wasn't complaining. He now had access to all the food he wanted. He grabbed a tray from a stack and piled on everything his stomach nudged him towards, steadfastly ignoring the price menus set above the cases of food.

"Does anyone have any money?" John muttered, eyeing a piece of chocolate cake. Hercules chuckled.

"Yeah, this meal's on me. You can get the cake." John grinned and eagerly dashed over to the case. "As long as you share!"

The four found a table near one of the huge windows and sat down, digging into their food like they hadn't eaten in days. Which, in Alex's case, was almost true. He sometimes forgot to eat when he got involved in projects, and occasionally, he just didn't have enough money to buy anything. Having Herc pay for his food was like a dream came true.

Alex tore through his sandwich, barely paused to take a breath while eating his salad, and devoured his fruit bowl, only slowing down when he realized all he had left was a small order of fries. The rest of his friends had just started their second courses, with the exception of John, who had only ordered a sandwich.

"Damn, Alex. How long's it been since you ate?" John asked. His smile made it clear he was joking, but Alex took the question literally.

"Yesterday evening. Not too long."

John stared at him for a moment, then pushed his untouched cake slice across the table. Alex shook his head, since he wasn't about to take a dessert that John had so clearly wanted, but the other man nudged his leg under the table. _I won't take no for an answer,_ his expression said.

Well, if Alex was reading the other man correctly, John was as stubborn as he himself was. Alex picked up his fork and attacked the cake slice.

"So, are we doing anything special tonight?" Lafayette asked, waving his fork. "This is one of our last nights as free men. Surely we should celebrate."

Alex scoffed as best he could when his mouth was full of cake. "You really want to get a hangover?" he asked once he had swallowed, giving the man on his right a look. "Tonight? When we're probably gonna have introductory classes and stuff tomorrow?"

Lafayette set his fork down with an insulted look. "I can hold my liquor."

Hercules and John both snorted, which told Alex everything he needed to know.

"I'm not really one for parties," Alex admitted, deciding to let Lafayette off the hook. "So if you guys want to test your limits and 'meet people', have fun. But I'm staying in. I'll watch a movie or something, I don't know."

"Ooh, a movie night," John said thoughtfully. "I'd be down for that. Herc, didn't you say that you can make amazing popcorn?" Hercules just cracked his knuckles in response. "Awesome."

"So, movie night it is?" Alex asked. John and Hercules both nodded immediately, but Lafayette still looked unconvinced. Alex sighed, pushing the remainder of his cake slice to the Frenchman.

Lafayette smirked, then nodded his agreement. "And all I needed to do was bribe you. I get the feeling that I'm going to lose a lot of money to you."

Lafayette shrugged innocently and kept eating his newly acquired cake.

John nudged Alex's foot again, and Alex glanced at him. "Don't worry, Herc's got us covered. I've only been here a few days, and I already owe him... $60?" Hercules raised his eyebrows, and John quickly corrected himself. "$70. He's a walking bank."

"No, I just spend my money wisely," Hercules said, poking John in the arm. "Y'all knuckleheads don't seem to get that concept."

John just spread his hands, and Lafayette muttered something in French. It could have been " _I am smarter than you_ " or " _How dare you call me a knucklehead_ ". Alex thought that both were likely. Laf might have even muttered a combination of them.

They continued discussing their movie night until Hercules had finished his salad. They dumped their trays in a collection bin and left the cafeteria. Once they were again wandering the campus, Alex found his mind drifting, pulling itself in half a million different directions. He kept one ear on the discussion John and Hercules were having while still running through all his thoughts. There were a lot of them. He hadn't had time to properly think since arriving in Jersey.

And so just before they reentered the building containing dorm 776, Alex told his friends that he was going to wander around a little longer. All three responded with easy grins and John told him to not stay out too late. Alex found himself grinning back.

Then he was alone in the quad. The wind plucked at his jacket and pulled at his hair, but for the first time in his life, Alex didn't feel the cold. He had landed the perfect opportunity to make all his dreams and plans come true. He had three like-minded companions who he just _knew_ he would get into trouble with, and he had at least one rival to keep on their toes. Things didn't seem so bad. Alex was literally looking at his life for the next two years, and to his surprise, he found that it already looked brighter than it had when he'd arrived.

If nothing else, he could ace his classes and become as much of a legend as Aaron Burr was.

Alex smiled into the sunlight, tilting his face up to the sky. It was a cool afternoon, pleasant by Jersey standards. He supposed he would have to get used to it.

No. He wanted to get used to it. Alex was just _itching_ to see how his years at Princeton unfolded.

* * *

 **Please follow, favorite, and leave a review with your thoughts! Don't be afraid, since those things are what turned this oneshot into a full-fledged series!**

 **~Bird of All Fandoms**


	2. A Special Project and Peggy

AN/ **Guess what guys? This story is now officially a series! I have so many ideas racing around my head, I can't wait to get them all out! Enjoy this next chapter, and mark it as the true start of this story (as well as the end of the prologue)!**

Disclaimer: Lin-Manuel deserves all the praise. Seriously.

* * *

"Damn it, damn it, damn it-" Alex raced down the hallway, his jacket flapping behind him and his hair barely staying in its messy ponytail. "Damn it, damn it, damn it-" Alex repeated the phrase like a mantra, desperately consulting his watch as he ran. "Damn it, _damn it!_ " Alex pushed his legs even harder and literally flew down the hallway, clutching his binders to his chest like they could somehow save him.

What was causing Alexander Hamilton, the human embodiment of a disaster, to be even more frantic and messy than usual?

He was late.

The fact that Alex was late was, in and of itself, not much of a surprise. Despite hating it when others were late, and making a big show of sighing when they showed up, Alex himself often got wrapped up in whatever he was doing and only realized he was late when he bothered to check the time.

Of course, being late wasn't enough to make Alex as panicked as he was. No, being late to a class he could pass without even showing up once didn't concern him. But the class he was late for was taught by the only teacher he actually respected.

Professor George Washington of Political Science.

And Alex _refused_ to give Washington the wrong impression. He wasn't a slacker, he was just very passionate about his other projects!

But since "being passionate" wasn't a viable excuse for being late to class, Washington probably wouldn't accept it, and therefore, still see him as a slacker. Alex grit his teeth and tried to draw on some hidden supply of energy.

Several wrong turns later (he still didn't have the campus layout memorized), Alex skidded to a stop a few doors down from the Politics classroom, his lungs burning. Alex took a few seconds to recompose himself, shoving his binders into his backpack and doing his best to make his hair look at least mildly presentable. When Alex looked back up, he found someone waiting for him.

"Did you stop for coffee?" John hissed, hurrying up to Alex. "Do you understand how hard it is to keep making excuses to come out here and see if you've showed up?"

"No, I wish I had coffee right now. I do have a bagel." Alex presented the bagel in question, swinging his bag over his shoulder. John made an exasperated noise that could have been a sigh or a chuckle.

"Why do I like you, knowing that you live with no regrets?"

"Because you're like me. You're different, reckless."

John didn't even protest, which made Alex smile, pleased. He nodded at the door, and John pulled it open silently. The sounds of Washington's lecture immediately drifted into the hallway. Alex slipped into the classroom, hugging the wall as he snuck to his seat, which, luckily enough, was in front of Laf and Herc. John went the long way around, capturing any stray eyes while Alex hunched into his seat.

Laf poked Alex's back the second he sat down, dropping a slip of paper into Alex's lap.

 _Did you get lost again?_

Alex just snorted and tossed the paper back over his head. Laf and Herc both chuckled, but they left him alone. A moment later, John slid onto the bench next to Alex.

"You're lucky Washington got distracted by the lesson before he did roll call," John muttered, nudging Alex's shoulder (something that Alex was starting to recognize as a sort of inside joke). Alex shrugged in response and pulled out his binder. He started taking notes, even though he'd already skimmed the chapter two days previous. His eyes quickly drifted away from his paper and to the rest of the classroom.

It was filled with other students, all raptly focused on Washington. He was a powerful figure and commanded attention, sure, but Alex didn't understand why they all looked so confused. They were learning about a foreign affairs case from half a decade ago, not psychology. Alex could easily argue his case for what should have happened, but no. He had to _listen_ to the case being explained first.

Eventually, Alex's eyes landed on the man sitting next to him. John's attention was fixed on Washington, just like everyone else, but he looked more curious than confused. Like he was forming the scenario his mind.

Alex glanced behind him. Laf and Herc looked equally focused, Herc chewing on his pencil and Laf writing something down.

Alex grinned. At least he wasn't surrounded by idiots.

He turned his attention back to John. His hair was a bit messier than usual, with a few loose strands brushing his shoulders. His skin looked unnaturally pale in the intense lighting, and his eyes looked light brown rather than their usual deep chocolate brown.

In other words, Alex was so bored than he had nothing better to do than examine his friends. Then an idea hit him, and he sat up a little. He took a pencil from his bag and put it to John's left wrist, beginning to sketch. For a few seconds, the other man didn't even react. Then John's eyes flicked to Alex, and he frowned slightly.

"Alex, what are you-"

"Shh," Alex interrupted, waving his free hand vaguely. John eyed him a little longer, then rolled his eyes and went back to watching Washington pace the room.

Ten minutes later, Alex had almost finished his work of art. It was a calligraphic version of "Laurens", with as many flourishes and loops as Alex could add. Unfortunately, Washington remembered that he hadn't yet taken roll and set down his book. He called for attention, so Alex reluctantly put down his pencil, resigning himself to finish his drawing later.

Alex waited as Washington ran through the list of students. When it got to his name, he smirked and called, "Present", earning a few startled gasps. Alex tilted his head back to Laf and Herc, holding his hands out for high fives. Both slapped his hands with smug grins.

Another half-baked plan perfectly executed.

Washington ran through a few more names, then paused. "Mar-" He cut himself off, heaving a defeated sigh. "Lafayette?"

" _Of course, sir,_ " Laf responded pleasantly. Some students snickered, Alex among them, others sighed along with Washington.

"Laurens?"

"Present," John said, tapping his pencil on the desk.

"Mulligan?"

"You know it, sir." Herc nudged John's back with a wide grin. "Guess I'm always a step behind you." John returned the grin, shoving at Herc' knee with his hand. Herc froze, and he pointed at John's wrist. "Dude, where did you get that?"

John gave Herc a confused look, reclaiming his wrist and looking at it. Alex fought back a grin as John lifted his gaze and stared at him.

"You did this?"

"Yup." Alex couldn't hold back his smug grin. "Didn't have time to finish that last little loop."

Laf draped his arm over Alex's shoulder. "Me next."

Alex chuckled, but picked up his pencil and began to sketch Laf's name, only half listening as Washington resumed the lesson.

By the end of the class, John, Laf, and Herc had ornate pencil tattoos of their names on their wrists, and in Laf's case, one wrist read "Lafayette" and the other "Marquis de". Alex and Laf had both been bored, and since Alex didn't do bored, he had seen no harm in indulging his friend.

John stretched his arms above his head as the four of them began to pack up their supplies. Most of the class had already left, with the exception of some students asking Washington for help.

"I need lunch," he mumbled, swinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Eating your bagel wasn't enough for breakfast."

"Hey, not my fault you forgot to have dinner," Alex said, shrugging innocently. Herc poked his back.

"You did too, knucklehead."

"Fair enough. I vote for lunch at that cafe down the street." Alex shouldered his backpack and was about to step into the aisle, since he knew his friends were always down for breakfast at the cafe, when Washington's voice drifted up from the front of the classroom.

"Hamilton. A word before you go."

Alex froze. His friends stared at him, but Alex was as clueless as they were. He waved a hand frantically, trying to tell them to escape while they could. He didn't know if he was being punished or praised. Luckily, John gestured for Laf and Herc to head for the door. The three of them left, though Herc spared Alex a final, worried look before he disappeared through the door.

"What is it, sir?" Alex asked, setting his bag back on his desk and wandering towards the front of the classroom. He was alone with Washington now, and he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Washington picked up a stack of papers and began shuffling through them. "You have top marks in this class, Hamilton."

"I know," Alex said slowly. Where was this conversation going?

"And you've already turned all the homework for the next week."

"Yes."

"Well, I have to ask... Hamilton, why do you never pay attention?"

"Sir-!"

"Don't get me wrong, I know you're sharp enough to pass this class without even trying. But do you ever stop to wonder if you distract the rest of the class?"

Alex had, actually. He'd even asked John, Laf, and Herc about it before, and they'd all shrugged and told him that they were doing well. Of course, the study sessions they held in the living room every night probably helped, but that was irrelevant. Alex was on an aisle seat, John sat to his right, and Laf and Herc were behind him, not to mention that they sat halfway up the room. Who else was there to distract?

"If the rest of the class can't ignore the scratch of my pencil, I don't think that's my fault," Alex said, resisting the urge to cross his arms defensively.

Washington looked at him for a long moment. "You know, a lot of your fellow students have asked about getting one-on-one time with you to improve their grades."

"Be a tutor?" Alex snorted. "I don't think so."

"Now, why are you upset?"

"I'm not."

"It's alright, a lot of people don't have the patience for it. Still, with how many people want your help, I'm going to offer you a project. You don't have to take it, but I want you to consider it." Alex leaned forward, interested in spite of himself. "The project is to go through the next five chapters of the textbook and create a study guide that I can pass out as we go through the year. If you can handle making it on top of your regular homework, I'll assign you the entire book. And don't worry, you'll get extra credit for each chapter you do.

Alex chewed his lip, running through what he could remember of the next few chapters. "Would I have creative liberty to devise new scenarios and examples?"

Washington nodded slowly. "Of course. I expect the facts to be without bias, but you can add anything else you want." Alex grinned eagerly, and Washington quickly added, "Within reason. These can't be like your normal essays, Hamilton, other people are going to have to understand these."

"Right, right," Alex muttered, already forming a rough outline of the study guide in his head. "I'll turn in a first draft for chapter three on Monday."

"You can start with chapter four if it-"

"No, I can do it!" Alex beamed at Washington. "Thank you for this opportunity, sir."

Washington sighed, but he nodded once. "Go catch up to your friends. I'll see you tomorrow."

Alex turned and raced back up the aisle, barely pausing to grab his bag as he flew past. He crashed out of the classroom and looked around wildly. He found his friends just down the hallway, Laf and Herc looking at their phones and John sitting on the floor. All three looked up as Alex burst into the hallway.

"Alex?" John asked. His unasked question floated in the air.

"Guys, I'm gonna have to skip lunch," Alex said, trying not to sound too giddy (and failing).

"Why?" his friends asked in unison, with a mumbled "I want my lunch, Alexander", from Laf.

"Washington gave me a special project, and I'm going to have to work nonstop for the next few days." Alex chewed his lip again as he thought about what he had taken on. "I'm going to have to run through the book and look up scenarios, maybe form a new government..."

Herc gripped Alex's shoulder and shook him a little, like he was trying to shake him out of his head. "Dude, you gotta eat."

"I know, Hercules," Alex muttered, still in his own head. His friend frowned.

"'Hercules'? I've told you man, call me 'Herc'. We're not strangers anymore."

"I would appreciate not hearing my full name all the time as well," Laf added, leaning over Herc' shoulder.

Alex smiled faintly. Old habit still held him tight. He was used to being as proper as he could (name-wise) to win favor, and he certainly hadn't been close enough to someone to call them by a nickname in a long time. But his friends were different. Herc, Laf, and John (or Laurens, depending on how Alex felt. John didn't mind him jumping between them). Yeah. That just sounded more natural.

"Well, okay, but I'm not backing down, _Herc_ ," Alex said, smirking at Herc's answering snort. "I seriously have to skip lunch."

"No, _mon ami_ , you're not." Laf grabbed Alex's arm and started off down the hallway. Alex struggled, but Laf's grip was as strong as iron. " _I_ am hungry, and I eat meals regularly. There is no way that you don't need food."

Herc reappeared on Alex's right and nudged him along. "I'm with Laf. We're eating."

Alex threw a desperate glance over his shoulder at John, who was trailing them by a few steps. His friend just chuckled.

"I'm always hungry, Alex."

Eventually, Alex gave up and let Laf and Herc lead him off campus. It would only take an hour at most, and he didn't have any more classes on his schedule. And, well, yeah, Alex was hungry. He was starting to regret giving John his bagel. Hell, he hadn't even had a cup of coffee in almost 2 hours. What had his life gone to?

Lunch consisted of a bowl of soup (since Jersey always seemed freezing to Alex), several cups of coffee (plus as many free refills as he could get), and a bagel (just because).

Alex ate quickly and left as soon as he finished. He waved off Laf's urging to stay longer, Herc's disgruntled huff when he refused, and John's disappointed look. His head was filled with ideas for Washington's project; how to group each section, what research to do for more information, snide little side comments that he'd probably have to edit out before he turned the draft in... the possibilities were endless.

It was only once he returned to the dorm that Alex remembered he had other classes. Which meant other homework. More things to do. All due on Monday, which was three days away.

But the ideas racing around Alex's head overpowered any worries he had. He tossed his bag onto a sofa and made a beeline for his bedroom, returning to the living room with laptop and books in hand. Alex quickly settled next to his bag and spread his resources out around him.

He put his fingers to the keyboard. Words raced onto the screen, moving a mile a minute, going as fast as Alex's mind was. There were so many things he needed to say. Just summarizing chapter three wasn't enough, he had to capture the very essence of it. What was its core theme, what did it try to teach? Well, it _tried_ to teach internal government affairs.

Alex smirked to himself. That made his job easier. With how often he thought about government affairs, he could probably build his own government from the ground up. With a bit of help from his friends, of course.

For the next two hours, Alex wrote and read nonstop. Ideas formed and reformed faster than he could get them out of his head, and when he finally paused to stretch out his fingers, he realized that he'd ended up with a document that was nearly 30 pages long, half filled with gibberish. Alex grimaced and went to work revising. It was easy enough to make sure his writing made sense, but 30 pages was too long for most people. He'd have to condense it somehow.

Maybe he should have listened to his friends' pleading and stayed at the cafe. They could have helped him write. It was too late now, since they had probably gone to the library to study or left to run errands or something.

Or maybe they hadn't.

Alex grabbed his phone, glancing at the screen to make sure he hadn't gotten any texts (he hadn't), then typing out a quick text.

 **Alex** : How many pages of notes do you usually have after class?

He got a reply instantly.

 **John** : When you're not bothering me?

 **Alex** : Yes

 **John** : Idk one or two

 **Alex** : Okay

 **Alex** : Are Laf and Herc with you?

 **John** : Yeah why

 **Alex** : I need you guys back here to help me

 **John** : Come to us instead

Alex frowned. An odd answer. He pulled up John's location and spent a few seconds trying to figure out where his friend was. Once he did, he sighed, closing his computer and giving their conversation his full attention.

 **Alex** : A) I'm kind of insulted that you didn't tell me where you were going

 **Alex** : B) What did I say about my distaste for parties?

 **John** : Alex, it's just a welcome party in the commons

 **Alex** : No.

 **John** : If you hang with us for a while, I promise that I'll help you and I'll drag Laf and Herc back if I have to

Alex's fingers hesitated over the keyboard. It was tempting offer. Suffering through a welcome party for an hour at most, then getting his friends' help... It was more than a tempting offer. It was a good compromise. And Alex knew that John wouldn't make him stay any longer than he could bear.

 **Alex** : Fine. Be there in ten minutes

 **John** : Hurry

 **John** : It isn't a party without you here judging everything

Alex chuckled and tucked his phone into his pocket. He stuck his head into his bedroom, giving his outfit a cursory once-over in the mirror. Black jeans, gray sweater that he might have stolen from Laf, he didn't really remember, and a turtleneck. Good enough.

He left the dorm with a slight sigh, retying his ponytail as he headed down the hall. He was just going for an hour. And it wasn't like he was going to be stuck without reinforcements, John, Herc, and Laf were going to be there with him.

Alex was going to die. He hated making small talk with strangers.

Exactly seven minutes later, Alex pushed through the doors of the commons and was assaulted by loud laughter and so many overlapping voices that Alex's head pounded. He winced, pressing himself against the wall. At least the curtains of the room were drawn back to let sunlight in.

It would've been a nice, relaxing area if it wasn't packed with people. Cream sofas and plush chairs were littered around the room, low coffee tables sat here and there, ready to have books piled on them, and a small bar in one corner of the room offered snacks for students who needed a caffeine boot or something sweet. But since it had been taken over for a party, there was nothing relaxing about it. Even the bar had been turned into a real bar.

"Hope they limited the alcohol," Alex muttered, glaring daggers at a guy who stumbled into him. Drunk at 4 in the afternoon. Alex was already regretting his decision to come.

He wandered through the crowd, checking his phone every five seconds to see if his friends had texted their location. He was just about to give up and try to melt into the wall when a hand landed on his shoulder, pulling him into a miraculously clear patch of space.

"Didn't think you were gonna show up," Herc said, grinning broadly.

Alex sighed, but he returned the smile faintly. "Yeah, well, John's offer was too good to refuse. Where are we hiding?"

Herc nodded for Alex to follow him, then plunged back into the crowd. Alex grabbed the back of his friend's hoodie, trusting Herc to keep him safe. All the people pressing around him made him feel sick. He hated being in the middle of crowds. It felt too much like he was drowning. He would much rather be standing above the crowd, talking or performing.

Anything to not be in the center of it.

Thankfully, Herc led him out of the crowd before Alex got too panicked. His friend guided him to a space next to a snack table, where Laf and John were leaning against the wall, heads together as they looked somewhere in the crowd. As Alex and Herc got closer, they both looked up, and identical grins spread across their faces.

"Welcome to the party, Alexander," Laf murmured, clapping Alex's shoulder with a smug grin.

Alex just huffed and settled next to John, making a show of crossing his arms. John snickered, nudging Alex's shoulder.

"Hey, just an hour."

"I'm holding you to that," Alex grumbled. John tipped his head forward, smiling slightly.

"You know I'm a man of my word."

"Yeah, whatever." Alex did know, and he greatly respected John for it. He greatly respected all his friends for it.

Alex only lasted fifteen minutes before he felt restless and uncomfortable in the heaving room. It was like everyone was moving, and he was standing stock-still, even though John, Laf, and Herc were all talking and laughing. Eventually, Alex couldn't stand still any more, and he moved away from the table with the excuse of getting something to eat.

He slid through the crowd, avoiding all eye contact and dancing away from the girls and guys who tried to grab his arms. The bar was blissfully empty, with only a sad-looking guy and the "bartender" herself.

"Bag of chips, please," Alex said, sliding a five over the bar. The bartender shot him a knowing look that said, " _You're_ _here because your friends are_ ", then turned away to open a cabinet. Alex drummed his fingers on the countertop, his mind drifting back to the unfinished study guide sitting on his computer.

"Alexander?"

Alex glanced over his shoulder, startled. Then he smiled as he recognized the man approaching him. "Aaron Burr, sir."

"What are you doing here?" Aaron asked, sliding onto the seat next to Alex's.

"Making sure my friends follow through on a promise."

"Friends?"

"Laurens, Lafayette, Hercules. You know. My friends."

"Ah."

Alex snorted a little. From the second he had been introduced to them (the day after Alex's arrival in Princeton), Aaron hadn't much liked Alex's roommates. He thought the four dangerous when put together, what with how opinionated and outgoing they all were. Alex knew that Aaron made a good point, but, still. Birds of a feather.

"I guess I don't have to ask what you're doing here," Alex said archly. Aaron just chuckled. "Yeah. Made any powerful friends?"

"Not yet." Aaron sighed, gesturing for the bartender to get him a drink. "But the Schuyler sisters are here. I've talked to them before, and I'm hoping to make friends with them now. If you can get on the good side of a sister, you're set for your time here."

Alex smirked. "Is it a question of 'if', Burr, or 'which one'?"

Aaron laughed, accepting the drink the bartender held out and rising from his stool. "Have fun, Alexander. I'll see you later."

"See you." Alex watched the other man disappear into the crowd. The bartender gave him a curious look, and Alex considered striking up a conversation with her. She seemed nice. Sure, he didn't like small talk, but she could probably tell him a lot about the other students in the room...

Then a yelp came from right behind him, and Alex was suddenly crushed against the bar by the weight of a person landing on his back.

"Oh my god, I'm so so sorry!"

Alex's acidic comment died in his throat. He clutched a hand over his aching stomach, turning to see who had crashed into him. It was a girl, probably no older than he was, maybe even a little younger. Her dark hair was loose and curled around her face. She wore a simple golden leather vest with black jeans, and a messenger bag dangled halfway off her shoulder.

And she looked horrified. Alex didn't have the heart to mad at someone who clearly hadn't meant to run into him. Not to mention that she looked dead sober.

"It's alright," Alex said, having finally regaining his breath. The girl just about drooped with relief, and Alex waved for her to sit down. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," the girl sighed, rubbing her face. "Again, I'm so sorry about that. This guy was chatting me up, but I'm not about that, so I tried to get away, but he grabbed my arm and-" The girl closed her mouth abruptly, as if she had realized she was rambling. _A woman after my own heart,_ Alex thought with a chuckle, and he held out a hand.

"Alexander Hamilton. Call me Alex."

The girl beamed at him, shaking his hand firmly. "Peggy Schuyler."

Alex raised his eyebrows. "Schuyler?" he repeated. He hoped he didn't sound too surprised. Or guilty, since he'd just been discussing the Schuylers with Aaron.

Peggy shrugged shyly. "Just because I'm rich doesn't make me smart. I used some of my dad's money to come here. I want a good education."

It was a unique viewpoint, one Alex hadn't heard from another student. He liked this girl. She was polite and cheerful, and it was clear she didn't expect anything to be handed to her. Alex saw in her what he had been drawn to in his other friends: John's fierce energy, Laf's confidence, and Herc's enthusiasm. And, of course, he saw some of his own determination.

"Are you here with anyone?" Alex asked, giving the bartender a grateful nod as she passed over a huge bag of chips.

"Kind of," Peggy mumbled. She looked down at the bar top. "I came with my sisters, but I sort of lost them in the crowd. I've been wandering around by myself.

"How'd you like to join my friends and I?" Peggy's head snapped up, and Alex grinned at her. "We're not exactly the most party-oriented folks, but we've got a wonderful wall spot. You can see everyone slowly losing their self respect."

Peggy laughed, her embarrassed expression disappearing as quickly as it had come. "That'd be amazing. Thank you!"

Alex's grin got bigger. He stood and grabbed his chips, gesturing for Peggy to follow him. He dove back into the crowd with much less worry than he'd had the first time. It was a lose-lose scenario being in the crowd, but with the prospect of adding another friend to his group, it seemed a bit more bearable.

Of course, no one would ever compare to his friends, but Peggy might come in a close second.

Alex finally emerged from the crowd and hurried toward the patch of wall he had mentioned. Herc immediately noticed his return, and he grinned at the huge bag of chips in Alex's arms.

"How much?" he asked, pointing at the bag. Alex held it out of Herc's reach, just in case.

"Five bucks. Worth it." Peggy appeared at Alex's side with an exhausted huff (probably from their battle through the crowd), and Alex put a hand on her shoulder. "Peggy, this is my dear friend, Hercules. Herc, this is Peggy, another reluctant party-goer."

Herc laughed, holding out a hand. "Nice to meet you. Call me Herc."

Peggy grinned and shook his hand. "Peggy."

Alex leaned around Herc to wave at John and Laf. "The tall one is Lafayette, our resident model, and the short one is John Laurens. Guys, this is Peggy."

"I'm taller than you, Alex," John snorted, shouldering past Alex to hold a hand out to Peggy. "It's a pleasure. Alex doesn't speak for me." Alex took a breath to protest, but John clapped a hand over his mouth, putting his other hand on the back of Alex's neck. "As much as he tries to."

" _Bonjour,_ madam," Laf added, draping over Herc's shoulder. "As it happens, Alex does speak for me. I am the best-looking one of this group _. Not that they'll admit it._ "

Peggy looked between the four of them and burst out laughing. "You guys are the best," she said, wiping away tears with a hand.

Alex beamed at her. This was what he loved to do. Well, his passion was debating, but entertaining others came in as a close second. Anything to see people's reactions, their laughter or their angry glares, their applause or their shouts. The spotlight was where Alex wanted to be. All eyes on him.

Though, he had to admit, being out of the spotlight with his friends wasn't bad either.

"Hey, weren't you bringing back food?" John asked, taking his hand off of Alex's mouth (though he left his other arm draped around Alex's shoulders). Alex huffed, then revealed the bag he'd been holding behind his back. "Ooh, that's what I was waiting for."

"And I mean nothing," Alex muttered. John just winked at him, and for a second, Alex was stumped. What was that supposed to mean?

Regardless, Peggy and John both wanted chips, which was how Alex found himself leaning on the wall once again, John on his left and Peggy on his right. Both grabbed handful after handful of chips, and Alex made sure to complain every time they did so. But for as much as he whined, Alex didn't mind being squished. He was thrilled that his friends were all hitting it off. He had gotten the impression that Peggy didn't have many friends, and he had wanted to change that.

Friends. Huh. Alex didn't have many friends either, but that was slowly changing.

"Hey, Alex." Peggy nudged Alex's arm and startled him out of his thoughts. "Laf's trying to talk to you."

"Finally," Laf grumbled when Alex looked at him. "Well, Alexander, it has been an hour. Do you still wish to leave, or have you changed your mind?"

Alex sighed dramatically. "Alright, fine, maybe this isn't so bad. It's not as bad as I thought it'd be, anyway. But wasn't the whole point of coming here meeting new people and dancing or something?"

"Yes, but that's not why you came. And you have met someone new."

"Whatever. I'll stick around for a few more minutes."

Herc, and to Alex's horror, Peggy, both chuckled. John poked him in the ribs, which conveyed more of a message than Alex would have thought possible, then took another handful of chips.

"If you're gonna stick around, I should introduce you guys to my sisters," Peggy said thoughtfully. "I think they'd like you. Maybe."

"'Maybe'?" Laf repeated. "Why wouldn't they, we are amazing."

Peggy snickered, but she said, "Well, they're not exactly the same as me. Let me just go get them, I'm sure they'd want to meet my new friends." With that, she launched into the crowd. It practically parted for her, and one guy actually dove out of her way. Had to be because she was a Schuyler sister.

"So, why exactly did you bring her back to us?" Herc asked once Peggy had disappeared. "Don't get me wrong, she seems great, and I'm glad you did, but... you're not the most social person."

"I help others in need," Alex said, giving Herc an overly dramatic smile. "She was in need of company."

Laf snorted. "She is very pretty, no?"

"That's not why!" Alex snapped. Laf raised his eyebrows, and Alex handed the chips off to John so he could gesture with his hands. "Laf, I am literally married to my studies. Have you learned nothing about me over this past week?"

"Half of the girls in this room _did_ stop what they were doing when you walked in," John mumbled.

"You're all horrible." Alex reclaimed the chips from John and slumped against the wall. "I wasn't expecting you to side with them so quickly," Alex muttered, shooting John an annoyed look. It faded when he noticed John's surprisingly sad look. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"No, no, that's not what I was-" John cut himself off, giving Alex a small smile. "It's alright."

Laf and Herc both chuckled. Alex didn't understand why, but he glared at them and shifted closer to John. He didn't like it when Laurens was sad.

A few minutes later, Peggy returned to their group, dragging two other girls in tow. The tallest girl had darker hair than the other two and complementing dark skin. The other girl's hair was slightly lighter than Peggy's, and her skin was fair. Seeing the three Schuylers side by side was an odd experience, since Alex knew that most of the people in the room would have killed to meet just one of them, Aaron Burr being among them.

"These are my sisters," Peggy said, glowing with pride. "This is Angelica and Eliza. Angel, El, these are my new friends, Herc, Laf, John, and Alex!"

The four chorused their greetings, and Alex waved.

He could see the shared blood between the three. They all were taller than most girls, with long legs and arms. Their facial structure was kind of similar, and the same smile curled all their lips, but none of them wore the smile the same way.

Eliza's smile was shy, and her clothing reflected it. She wore a simple sky blue jacket and jeans, with a silver pendant accenting the white shirt. She stood behind Peggy, as if she wasn't quite sure about Alex and his friends.

Angelica was the exact opposite. Her smile was bright, if a little wary, and her outfit was flashy and loud, all purples and pinks with a bit of black. Her hair hung loose down her back, and golden bracelets jangled on her wrists. She stood right next to Peggy, her free hand on her hip.

Peggy was almost a perfect combination of her sisters' styles.

"Thank you for taking care of Pegs," Eliza said, a light brush dusting her cheeks. "We didn't mean to get separated from her."

"Our pleasure," Alex returned, and he dipped in a slight bow. He meant it as a joke, since he knew his friends would have taken it as such, but Eliza's blush got darker. Alex immediately felt bad. Eliza was pretty, and it was clear that she liked him, but, really, he stood by what he had told his friends. He didn't have time for a romantic relationship. One girl wouldn't change that.

"You don't seem like the kind of people who go to parties like this," Angelica said, her smile getting a little more genuine. Alex tilted his head in question. "You're all hiding on the wall."

Laf waved a hand slightly. "There is nowhere else to go. The crowd would suffocate us. _And I am too pretty to die._ "

" _You are not,_ " Alex grumbled. Laf shot him an amused smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you two," John said, giving both Alex and Laf reproachful looks. "You have an amazing sister."

Peggy laughed and shoved at John's arm. Angelica's and Eliza's smiles got wider, and Alex realized that all three probably suffered from a lack of friends. Being Schuyler sisters couldn't do much for their trust. He was suddenly even more glad that he had met Peggy. He didn't like the thought of any of the three being alone.

"I know we were planning to leave, but we can stay for a little longer?" Peggy asked, turning to her sisters. "Please, Angelica?"

Angelica gave Alex a curious look, then nodded. "Yeah, sure. My shift doesn't start until later."

And for the second time in as many minutes, Alex found himself squished between a girl he didn't know and a guy that he did. This time, John was on Alex's right and Angelica was on Alex's left, which made him a little nervous. Angelica gave off an intense vibe, and he didn't know what to think of her.

But he quickly found that he didn't have to be nervous.

They struck up a conversation about the college programs, and Alex decided that he had never met someone like Angelica. Her views were so unique, like his, but different. It was like matching wits with someone as his own level. And their conversation only lasted two minutes, maybe three.

Then Alex glanced over his shoulder, and the euphoria he had felt vanished.

The rest of his friends were all talking, laughing, smiling. They looked like they had been friends for years. And Alex had, for a few minutes, forgotten about them.

That wasn't something he was willing to do for a girl he had just met.

John, still standing at Alex's right shoulder, suddenly laughed at something Eliza said, and a feeling Alex couldn't place twisted his stomach. Whatever it was, he hated it. Without meaning to, he shifted, knocking John's shoulder. His friend glanced at him, grinning widely. The feeling in Alex's stomach changed to one equally confusing.

"Finally remembered that we're here too?" John asked quietly, his gaze teasing but also a little sad.

Alex opened his mouth to apologize (why, he didn't know), but he never got to. He would never fully understand what he saw, but from what he managed to put together, someone suddenly came flying out of the crowd and crashed into the group. Alex was thrown to the left, narrowing avoiding Angelica. When he balanced himself and looked up, John was crumpled on the floor, groaning. Alex's brain was flooded with an emotion he would later identify as panic.

"What the hell happened?" Alex demanded, dropping to the ground next to his friend and putting his hand on John's back.

"Some jerk just launched themselves at us!" Herc glared off into the crowd.

Alex stopped listening after "some jerk". "Laurens, you alright?" he asked. Slowly, John lifted his head, a pained smile crossing his face. _No, but I'll make it look like I am,_ his expression said. "Alright. Herc, give us a hand." The two gripped John's hands, hauling him to his feet. John winced, clutching his ribs. Alex frowned. "What is it?"

John attempted to wave him off, but Alex was too concerned to be stopped. He gently grabbed the hem of John's shirt and pulled it up. A large bruise was already starting to form on John's rib cage.

" _My god,_ " Laf muttered, turning to glare into the crowd like Herc had. " _Son of a-._ "

"I think it might be time for you to follow up on your promise, John," Peggy interrupted. John gave her a confused look, as did Alex, and she smiled faintly. "I'm not in the class, but a friend of mine is. She'd appreciate all the help she can get."

The penny dropped, and Alex laughed a little. "Yeah, like Laf said, it's been over an hour."

It took John a few more seconds, but once he got it, he smiled. "Yeah. We can leave."

"Are you good getting back to the dorm?" Herc asked, putting a hand on John's shoulder. John nodded quickly, and Herc sighed. "Okay. Don't you collapse on us, though."

After bidding the Schuylers goodbye, as well as making sure Peggy was part of their group chat, the four started off through the crowd. John was clearly uncomfortable being watched so intensely by Alex and Herc, as well as keeping a hand over his ribs, but he said nothing, which only made Alex more worried. Luckily, they got out of the commons without further incident.

But as he passed through the doors, something got Alex to turn around. His eyes were instantly drawn to a guy standing nearby. His dark hair was slicked to the right, mouth pulled in a cruel grin, hands shoved in his jacket pockets.

The guy was watching John as he limped away.

Anger flared in Alex's chest. The evidence was slim, but he just knew that the guy was the one who had attacked John. Alex clenched his fists, silently promising himself that he would make payback hurt. But Alex reluctantly turned away and rejoined his friends. He had to wait for the right time. And it wasn't now. John needed his help more than revenge.

It took them a bit longer than normal to reach their dorm, but by the time they did, John seemed almost back to normal. He joked and laughed, and when asked if he was okay, he scowled. He nodded, but muttered that he wanted to find the person who had crashed into him and return the favor. That got Alex to smirk a little. He couldn't wait to see John's face when he came up with a plan.

The four collapsed in the living room five minutes later, John with an ice pack on his ribs, and

Laf and Herc with books in their laps. Alex had suggested that if he and Herc were going to be fussing over John anyway, the other three might as well follow up on their promise to help Alex work on the study guide. No one had complained.

After only a few minutes of studying, Alex got a text. He picked up his phone.

 **Peggy** : You guys alright?

Alex smiled softly, glancing to either side of him. Herc was curled to the right of him with a book in one hand and his chin in the other. Laf was sprawled on the ground, using Alex's legs to support his head while he took notes. John was slumped against his left shoulder, his eyes flicking back and forth across Alex's computer screen.

 **Alex** : We're good. Thanks, Peggy

 **Peggy** : Anytime

 **Peggy** : I had an amazing time today btw

 **Peggy** : You guys are special lol

John chose that moment to shift, tilting his head up and nudging Alex's shoulder. Alex glanced at him, and John poked his wrist. Alex lifted his hand. "Alexander" was sketched across his wrist, in the exact same style of the ones he had given his friends.

Alex gave John an incredulous look. The other man smiled, then leaned against Alex's shoulder, his gaze returning to the laptop. A feeling Alex couldn't explain tugged at his heart.

 **Alex** : They are

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 **Thanks for reading! Please follow, favorite, and review! (And in celebration of this being a full series, I revamped the first chapter. Go back and you might find a few new lines here and there! And yes, I know these are super long chapters compared to most fics, and that's the way I plan to keep them. To make sure you guys get the best and longest content I can give you, expect an update every two weeks at the latest, every week if I'm feeling good. Thank you all again, and do not be afraid to let me know what you think!)**

 **~Bird of All Fandoms**


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